My 8th grade year, 1984-1985, was spent at Kenosha's Washington Jr. High. A building that now has gotten the knock down and rebuild treatment. I suppose it was due in some way, as it was first constructed in 1920. But still, that brick & mortar construction complete with neatly placed marble, and an early 80's addition that extended out into a vacant lot will be missed. I will have to ask around if its twin building, McKinley Jr. High, is still in existence.
Or was it Lance? I think it was McKinley.
Anyhoo. In 1984-85, my English class (not grammar, but Lit in this case) was taught by Mrs. Bergquist. I remember her to this day because she did this killer reading of Lewis Carrol's Jabberwocky, a genius piece from Through the Looking-glass, and what Alice Found There. She read it with such enthusiasm and vigor. She conjured a low throw-down to her voice that brought the words to magical life:
"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe"
It caught me off guard, pricked up me ears, and brought my attention to attention. She finished the piece in the same enthusiasm, and did it incredible justice. The other kids in my class were either irritated or laughing at her, but they obviously didn't get it. I didn't care. I thought it was amazing.
I remember a day or two after, when a friend and I were gathering our Trapper Keepers and grocery-bag wrapped textbooks together, another kid gave his unfettered review of Mrs. Bergquist's reading.
"It's so stupid", he belched. "It doesn't even make sense." Then he began his classy impression of the work and performance:
"It was all goobly! and the jingly mobes
were gimblin' and gamblin' up my butt."
My friend and I of course erupted into laughter for a couple of reasons.
1. The routine was admittedly hilarious.
2. It was ridiculous. He was doing exactly what he was mocking Carroll's piece for doing. Creating nonsense words for the purpose of prose.
Regardless, Mrs. Bergquist's selection also brought something out of my dusty past. As a kid, we had these Walt Disney book and record items. You know the ones. You listen to the record and hear dialogue, narration, and music as you followed along in the book.
We had Peter & The Wolf, Bambi, Jungle Book, among others. But the one that stuck out for me was Alice in Wonderland. Terrific illustrations inside, including the one sparked by my English teacher's reading that day. The Jabberwock himself. With his pear-shaped Tweedledee & Tweedledum body shape and creepily flaming eyes. This image was a memory Mrs. B. brought storming back.
That Jabberwocky reading is among the most strong, and definitely most positive moments that I remember happening during my time at Washington. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "If that's the best you got, the rest of it must have been pretty grim."
You wouldn't be wrong. It’s scattered all over this blog.
As an addendum: After my brief 16 month swing through Waco, TX, circa Fall of 1985 through January 1987, Tremper High was the school I attended upon my return to K-Town. That's right. The High School alma mater of one Mark Ruffalo.
Now, Tremper was intentional. My parents gave me the option of which two Kenosha Unified School District High Schools I would wish to attend. All of my siblings attended Bradford. And most of the kids that I knew and who would possibly remember me would have gone there too. But my bestie upon leaving Kenosha in October of 1985 was still my best friend thanks to letter-writing and phone calls. He was also a 10th grader at Tremper. So I made that my choice.
Bad idea.
He met me at the campus and shook my hand on a cold January day. He showed me what was what and where was there on the Tremper campus. Then we headed back to his place to hang out and watch a little television.
And I never heard from him again.
He dodged me in the hallways, and never returned my calls. Don't ask me why. I have a couple theories, but it has been almost 40 years, I don’t dwell on it. Anyway, on that day that we re-connected, I dropped into the office to talk to the staff. While I was in there, I saw a familiar face. None other than my favorite English teacher from Washington, Mrs. B!
That didn't go well either.
Despite my enthusiastic introduction and subsequent discussion, she didn't remember me. Even though at most, it had been two years since I saw her last and was under her tutelage. I was truly disappointed. I only attended Tremper one semester, as my folks and I picked up the tent by spring and were headed North. Luckily, Linda & Don, (mentors, both) allowed me to stay with them until June, so I didn't have to start up fresh again at another school with 7 weeks left in the school year.
I recently called Tremper. For some reason, I had been unable to remember Mrs. Bergquist's name. I know I had it firmly in my mind a few months back but last week Friday when I intended to begin this odd trip down memory lane, it was gone.
A very sweet individual named Amanda from the Tremper student services office went above and beyond helping me out. She dug up the 1987-1988 yearbook and assisted with deducing the name. Even if I weren't writing this piece, Amanda's assistance would have been therapeutic, because my former English teacher's name's dance upon the tip of my tongue was driving me to the brink of insanity.
Now if I could only remember the name of the Tremper instructor who got me off the hook on 10th grade Algebra.
